The access to the Suez Canal for U.S. warships is a major issue in U.S-Egypt relations. / AFP/Getty Images

by Tom Vanden Brook, USA TODAY

by Tom Vanden Brook, USA TODAY

That it took months for the Obama administration to trim aid to Egypt in response to the military's takeover of the elected government reflects how difficult it is to balance the many and varied U.S. interests there.

Egypt's peace treaty with Israel, privileged access to the Suez Canal for U.S. warships and permission to fly warplanes in its airspace are all considerations the administration bore in mind when making the decision, according a staff member on the House Armed Services Committee with knowledge of the issues. The staffer, who was briefed by administration officials on their reasoning, spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the concerns.

When Egypt's military toppled the democratically elected government of Mohammed Morsi and its crackdown on protests that killed hundreds of his Muslim Brotherhood supporters this summer, the administration condemned the violence but didn't cancel the $1.3 billion in annual U.S. aid.

In August, President Obama canceled a large, joint-military exercise and suggested that cuts to prized weapon systems like F-16 fighters, Apache attack helicopters and M-1 tanks could be coming.

The administration avoided branding the Egyptian military's power play a "coup" because the term would have triggered an automatic suspension of aid. It called for a quick return to civilian rule and new elections.

Neither has happened, and many in Congress, including Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., have called for a stronger response. There is support in the House as well for suspending the aid, the staffer said.

A chief concern among many members, the staffer said, is how Egypt will respond to Israel with which it has had a peace treaty since 1979.

In the end, the judgment was made that Egypt has as much to lose by severing its ties with the U.S., the staffer said. The concern that it would turn away was "not sufficient," the staffer said.

The Egyptian military has relied on the Pentagon for much of its hardware. Its air force flies U.S. F-4 fighter jets, C-130 cargo planes and Chinook and Black Hawk helicopters. The army drives American Humvees, shoots American artillery and fires Hellfire missiles. Its navy sails U.S. ships and fires American torpedoes.

Access to the Suez Canal is another concern. The Navy prizes the shortcut from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean. That came into play last month when Obama considered a military strike in Syria. The canal allows moving warships into position quickly.